Beauty Contest deals with one of the most trivial everyday e
xperiences: the daily encounter with human beauty and its social constructi
on. A perennial anthropologic subject dating back to the writings of ancien
t Greek philosophers the exhibition will present critical viewpoints of som
e of the most antiquated notions of universal beauty. Evidence from the sex
ual revolution and feminism\, as well as the gay\, lesbian and transgender
movements have eroded clear definitions of who and what is beautiful– and w
ho and what is not. Through their artworks the artists examine the emancipa
tion of hidden structures of repression toward gender\, race\, and age.

The artworks\, which include videos\, paintings\, sculptures\, inst
allations\, and performance art\, are drawn from the self-examination\, sel
f-perception\, and self-definition of the individual artists\, many of whom
are influenced by female avant-garde artists such as Austrian artist Maria
Lassnig and New York based Cindy Sherman.